Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Scientists Have Restored A Surprising Amount Of Function In The Brain Of A Pig Hours After It Was Killed In A Slaughterhouse

Scientists Have Restored A Surprising Amount Of Function In The Brain Of A Pig Hours After It Was Killed In A Slaughterhouse
Jason Nastaszewski/EyeEm/PASIEKA/Getty Images

A research team from Yale University has managed to restore some brain function in the brains of pigs who were killed hours prior.

The team announced their success in a recent paper published in the journal Nature.


Scientists placed the brains of pigs from a nearby slaughterhouse in a solution of chemicals meant to preserve and repair the brain's cells. The solution also contained a medication to prevent the brain from regaining any type of conscious thought.

When scientists tested the brains after 6 hours in the preservation solution, they discovered that they were observably less deteriorated than the brains which were left exposed to air.

Nenad Sestan, of Yale University's School of Medicine, told NPR:

"We found that tissue and cellular structure is preserved and cell death is reduced. In addition, some molecular and cellular functions were restored."
"This is not a living brain, but it is a cellularly active brain."

That emphasis on it not being a living brain is important. Given the ethical concerns such an experiment brings up, the team were extremely careful to make sure that no true consciousness could be restored to the brains.

We have known that some viable cells remain in the brain several hours after it is deprived of oxygen, as scientists have been able to study them this way in the past.

Sesta highlighted the problem with this method of study, though:

"...the problem is, once you do that, you are losing the 3D organization of the brain."

In order to improve how we study the brain, Sesta and colleagues wondered if there wasn't a way to do so while still leaving the cells in a whole, intact brain.

Stephen Latham, a bioethicist that worked closely with the research group, said:

"It was something that the researchers were actively worried about."

Thus, the experiment involved chemicals to ensure that the brain could not regain any sort of consciousness. A medication called lamotrigine, which is used to treat seizures and is known to suppress neuronal activity, was included in the solution that the brains were soaked in.

Latham told NPR that this was also because:

"the researchers thought that brain cells might be better preserved and their function might be better restored if they were not active."

Duke Law School Ethicist Nita Farahany, who focuses on the ethics of emerging technology, said of the experiment:

"It was mind-blowing."
"My initial reaction was pretty shocked. It's a groundbreaking discovery, but it also really fundamentally changes a lot of what the existing beliefs are in neuroscience about the irreversible loss of brain function once there is deprivation of oxygen to the brain."

Khara Ramos, who is the director of neuroethics at the National Institute of Disorders and Stroke, also talked about the importance of continuing to move forward on these experiments in an ethical manner.

"The science is so new that we all need to work together to think proactively about its ethical implications so that we can responsibly shape how this science moves forward."

Farahany and her colleagues Charles Giattino and Henry Greely also published a commentary in Nature alongside their paper. In it, they cite a line from the character Miracle Max in the film The Princess Bride:

"There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive."

media3.giphy.com


It seemed many people had the same reaction to the news on Facebook: zombie pigs.


Bill Hronek/Facebook


Mathhew Dash/Facebook


One neuroscientist also tried to address the concerns of those who jumped to the zombie conclusion.

Neena Haider/Facebook

Over on Twitter, people were also concerned with the possible ethical implications, but noted that the team had done a good job addressing them.



This experiment definitely raises some tangled ethical questions, but the researchers are determined to move forward in an ethical manner.

The scientific ethics community is considering how this can be done, and the implications of the findings on the broader reality of experimentation on dead organs.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Jesse Watters
Fox News

Jesse Watters Dragged After Adding Another Mind-Boggling Rule For 'Real Men'

Fox News host Jesse Watters, who is apparently an authority of what it means to be a manly man, gave jazz hands to make a point about how "real men" should or shouldn't wave.

The target of his ridicule was Tim Walz, the enthusiastic Democratic Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate who often greets the public by raising both hands in the air to wave.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of crowd at town hall and Rep. Mike Flood
@MorePerfectUS/X; KETV NewsWatch 7

GOP Rep. Goes Viral For His Response To Crowd Chanting 'Tax The Rich' At Town Hall

Nebraska Republican Representative Mike Flood was criticized following his incredulous response to a crowd that chanted "Tax the rich!" during a town hall meeting.

The Columbus High School auditorium hosted the town hall on Tuesday evening, drawing "nearly 380" attendees, according to local network KETV Omaha. The event was lively, with Flood facing both sharp criticism over Trump administration policies and some appreciation for showing up in person.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Awkward Typo In Elon Musk's Bizarre 'Education Department' Trump Meme Is A Total Self-Own

Billionaire Elon Musk was widely mocked after he celebrated President Donald Trump's executive order to begin to dismantle the Department of Education (DOE) by posting a meme of Trump at the department's grave, only for an awkward misspelling to get all the attention.

Polling indicates that eliminating the Education Department is largely unpopular, with 60% of registered voters opposing the move, according to a Quinnipiac University survey conducted March 6-10. Support stands at 33%, with opposition particularly strong among Democrats—98% oppose it, while just 1% support it.

Keep ReadingShow less
JB Pritzker; Donald Trump
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Dem Governor Reveals Trump's Bonkers Demand In Exchange For Equipment During COVID

Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker revealed during a speech this week that he clashed with President Donald Trump during the first Trump administration after Trump promised necessary medical equipment during the COVID pandemic on the condition that Pritzker praise him publicly.

Five years ago, the United States was grappling with the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country had entered shutdowns that had severe economic consequences, leaving businesses and industries on the brink of collapse.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scrabble tiles spelling the word scam
Scam spelled with scrabbles on a wooden table

People Break Down How They Realized An Entire Industry Was A Total Scam

We unfortunately live in a world where scams are on the rise.

Thankfully, some of them are pretty easy to detect, such as an automated call from the IRS telling you a warrant is out for your arrest, or an email claiming to be from Amazon or the USPS asking for your credit card information, only to look closer and see the email address is a yahoo account.

Keep ReadingShow less